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Vulnerability and Risk Assessments

Preliminary Vulnerability Assessments 2011

Trinidad and Tobago can be affected by natural and anthropogenic hazards from several categories - seismic, hydrological, technological, biological and meteorological. The level of vulnerability varies - e.g., low lying areas are more vulnerable to flooding than higher elevated places. Knowing which areas display the highest levels of vulnerability, as well as the location of critical facilities such as hospitals and shelters, is important in mitigation and response planning.

The ODPM is currently conducting preliminary vulnerability assessments of each municipality in Trinidad and Tobago. The hazard vulnerabilities of the following areas have been assessed. They are being reviewed by the Municipal Corporations and will soon be made available to the public.

Feel free to submit questions and comments to the Disaster Management Units of the various Municipal Corporations, or email Mitigation.ODPM@gmail.com.

The Preliminary Vulnerability Assessments will feed into the following comprehensive national risk and capacity assessments.

National Risk Assessment and Capacity Building 2011-2013

IDB Program: The Government of Trinidad and Tobago and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) signed an agreement in February 2011 to deliver a program aimed at Improving the Delivery of Comprehensive Disaster Management in Trinidad and Tobago, in order to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience to natural hazards and disasters. It will develop a profile of disaster risk at the national level in order to inform development planning priorities and the effective incorporation of risk reduction at the national, sectoral and local levels.

The Program has the following components:

Country Disaster Risk Evaluation, which will include:

Hazard identification, historical review and probabilistic analysis

Preparation of an inventory and categorisation of elements exposed and vulnerability analysis

Risk assessment

Update of the Indicators of Disaster Risk and Risk Management

Preparation of hazards and risk maps, a detailed country risk profile and reports on the country risk evaluation.

Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building, which will include:

Institutional strengthening and capacity building of the ODPM and the Municipal Corporations in prevention, mitigation and response.

Detailed assessment of the country’s institutional capacity to manage the risks associated with natural hazards:

Review of the legal framework and practice

Evaluation of the Government’s institutional capacity to manage identified risk

UNDP Program: The Government of Trinidad and Tobago and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement also in February 2011 to deliver a program which also develops capacity for disaster risk management in Trinidad and Tobago. The following outputs are desired:

Improved Disaster Risk Management framework of policies and strategies for four (4) sectors or ministries

Gender sensitive capacity development program

Capacity development program

Mainstream DRM procedures into sector policies, laws, development planning and operations, and decision-making

Well-functioning Emergency Communications System

Gender sensitive DRM public education and awareness program materials and modalities designed for multi-hazard exposure and delivery to target audiences

Emergency communication system strengthened for at least three categories of critical infrastructure taking into account gender

2014 Preliminary Vulnerability Assessment

This report attempts to analyse these factors from the disaster management perspective and make recommendations for vulnerability reduction and resilience.Trinidad and Tobago is considered to be one of the most diverse countries in the Caribbean region with its own mix of culture and social values which make it truly unique. Additionally, Trinidad and Tobago's environment is gradually evolving, making the islands' more susceptible to the impacts of natural and anthropogenic hazards.

Certain factors such as poverty and the high dependent nature of the nation’s population contributes to a population's misinterpretation of risk , the way in which emergencies are managed , and the marginalization of special need populations. It is pertinent to note that , Small Island States (SID’s) like Trinidad and Tobago are highly susceptible to economic vulnerability, which refers specifically to the way in which the nation’s economy responds to both internal and external shocks. Of the multiple factors which contribute to economic vulnerability, some of the key elements include : a proneness to natural and anthropogenic disasters; economic openess; export concentration , dependence of strategic Imports and sectors; and inadequate coping mechanisms to name a few. To view the contents of the Preliminary Vulnerability Assessment Report for 2014, click here.